Author: Kei Sumikawa

Attorney at Law (Sumikawa Law Office), Kawasaki city, Japan

Submitting divorce papers by postal mail (Japan)

In Japan, you can also submit your divorce papers by postal mail to the municipal office (city hall).

You can download the divorce form (Rikon-Todoke) from some municipal offices via the Internet. Generally, the form can be used at any Japanese municipal office.

Sapporo city
http://www3.city.sapporo.jp/download/shinsei/index.html

However, if there are any mistakes, you will have to go to the municipal office to make corrections, so it is strongly advised to call the municipal office (Koseki-gakari) well in advance and make sure that your divorce form is filled out correctly.

Also, if you are a foreigner, be sure to check whether your home government will allow you to get a divorce by just mutual consent, without going to court.

Japanese Consumption Tax | Tax-inclusive Pricing will be required from April 2021.

As of April 1, 2021, the total amount including consumption tax (Shohi-Zei, 消費税) must be indicated in the price labeling for consumers.

In other words, the price tag could be indicated like “10,000 yen plus consumption tax” until March 2021, but from April 2021, the price will have to be indicated like “11,000 yen”.

This regulation is applied to all of the price indications such as price tags, flyers, catalogues and also websites.

We do not handle tax issues. This information is provided just for your reference. If you have inquiries about tax issues, please ask a tax accountant (Zeirishi) for details.
Google search

Certification of Traffic Accident (Kotsu Jiko Shomeisho)

If you are involved in a traffic accident in Japan, be sure to call the police (dial 110). By contacting the police, you will be able to have a traffic accident certificate issued at a later date.

You can find information about issuing a traffic accident certificate here.
Japan Safe Driving Center
https://www.jsdc.or.jp/en/tabid/145/Default.aspx

More information about Car Accidents

COVID-19 Countermeasures at our Office

Update | January 14, 2021

In some parts of Japan (including Tokyo and Kanagawa), the state of emergency declaration (due to COVID-19) is declared until February 7th, 2021. In order to ensure the safety of our guests and staffs, we are taking the following measures.

  • We request all guests and staffs to wash their hands when entering the office.
  • Hand sanitizer at the entrance and the meeting room.
  • Acrylic boards in the meeting room to prevent infection.
  • Disinfection of the meeting room for each consultation.
  • We request all guests and staffs to wear a mask.
  • We open the window for ventilation.
  • We have humidifiers installed to keep the humidity in the room.

For legal issues such as debt, business problems, inheritance, divorce, etc. it is important to have a consultation with the attorney early on in order to achieve a better resolution.

We take measures to prevent infection as described above, so if you wish to consult with us, please contact us as soon as possible. We can also provide web consultation (zoom, skype, google meets) for now.